Five reasons to think Michigan State will beat Michigan on Saturday in Ann Arbor:

1. The Mark Dantonio factorIf the Spartans head coach gets a clean bill of health and makes his triumphant return to the Michigan State sidelines, the emotion in that Spartans locker room will be a huge advantage going into, and during, the game.

Playing for your coach in a rivalry matchup is an intangible that statistical breakdowns can't bring to life.

2. Michigan's defense is just badThe Wolverines give up too much yardage and points to make any fan feel comfortable about winning. The Spartans' gameplan should be to pound the football on the ground and keep Denard Robinson and the Michigan offense off the field.

Michigan State has the offensive line and running backs to dictate the tempo of this game. If Michigan finds a way to slow down the Spartans' rushing game, quarterback Kirk Cousins has settled in and has made some big throws of late and is playing more like I expected him to play at the start of the season.

Michigan State is a much more complete team with experience than Michigan is at this time.

3. Quality wins Michigan State's victories over Notre Dame and Wisconsin are program credibility wins and have taken them from unranked to No. 17 in the country.

In two of Michigan's past three games, it almost blew games against inferior football schools UMass and Indiana. This has to give Michigan State a confidence edge. What the Spartans did to Wisconsin told me they are better than what we thought they would be.

Michigan State is playing with incredible passion and fire.

4. Recent history Michigan State has won the past two against Michigan and its coaches, players and fans think they are the better program today. The scoreboard hasn't lied the past two years in East Lansing and Ann Arbor.

Should have been three in a row if Michigan State didn't blow the lead in 2007.

5. Better defense Linebacker Greg Jones has the ability to take over a game defensively unlike any player Michigan will face this season. Jones alone could disrupt the Wolverines' offense and carry the team on his shoulder pads all day.

I think the Michigan State defense can stop Michigan more than the Wolverines can slow down MSU.

AP PhotoNobody has been able to stop Michigan quarterback Denard Robinson yet. How will the Michigan State defense contain him?

Five reasons to think Michigan will beat Michigan State on Saturday:

1. Denard RobinsonMichigan State players have never faced someone this fast. His ability to score from anywhere on the field makes it impossible for the Michigan State coaches to gameplan against him. If you try to take away his running lanes he will beat you in the air.

College football has never seen a player like Robinson. The scary part is, he is only five games into his legacy and the numbers on the ground and air are staggering. His leadership has been validated by the last-second drives to beat Notre Dame and Indiana, both on the road.

No matter who you cheer for in this game, I think all of us appreciate just how special Robinson is. If there is one guy who can take over a game by himself it is the speed demon playing quarterback for Michigan.

A big game by Robinson against a ranked team like State will help keep him at the top of the Heisman Trophy list.

2. First road testThe only road win of note Dantonio has ever had as the Spartans' coach was in Ann Arbor two years ago against a Michigan team that didn't have a quarterback and a had defense that quit on their defensive coordinator.

I think the huge advantage of Spartan Stadium is something Michigan State fans wish this team could take on the road with them. The road has not been kind to Dantonio-coached Spartan teams. I think the Big House will be the loudest it has ever been.

3. Deep threats at receiver Michigan's wideouts provide a deep threat I think the Michigan State secondary will not be able to handle. If the Spartans try to box in Robinson on the ground, going deep with the pass should be a quick way to score for the Wolverines.

4. Rich Rodriguez's offenseRodriguez has an ability to create offense. Lost in the Robinson hype this year is the fact that Rodriguez knows offense maybe better than anyone in the country right now.

I think his coaching abilities have been buried by the haters and media on a personal mission. The guy can flat-out coach and it shows with the development of Robinson from last year to this year. He will be able to break down the Michigan State film and find a lot of ways to utilize his strengths on offense on Saturday.

5. Everything's on the line This game means so much to Michigan football. The Wolverines can't lose three consecutive years to their instate rival. The players, coaches, and fans know this.

A win Saturday by the Wolverines would be a huge step toward a return to state, Big Ten and national glory. A loss could be crippling for Michigan football as Michigan state has moved past Michigan for the time being as the football school of choice in this state and two wins in a row at the Big House is a lot of fuel for their green and white football machine.

With all of this said, I think Robinson will be impossible to stop and Michigan uses the home-field advantage and his speed to win a 45-41 shootout.